Multiple USC buildings may need earthquake retrofits

Nine USC buildings were listed as needing retrofitting in a Los Angeles Times article. Reporters removed data for the City of Los Angeles from the article after discovering that the city had not adequately updated the data. (Brooks Taylor/Daily Trojan)

USC also demolished its Totton Hall and Harris Plaza residence halls in 1986, specifically due to earthquake concerns. The university did not notify students of their earthquake safety concerns before announcing the demolition, forcing students to leave residence halls without warning in the middle of the year.

Demolitions of old buildings are part of every expanding university, but not all demolitions are simply the result of safety concerns. The university frequently removes old buildings to make way for new buildings. For example, Fertitta Hall and Annenberg Hall were built after two other buildings on their lots were destroyed.

The third option is to renovate and modernize the structure at the same time. The interiors of the Dramatic Arts Building and Bridge Hall have been completely renovated and seismically retrofitted in the past two decades. There were also plans as of 2018 to renovate the physical education building into a shared dorm for students at Dornsife, although this did not come to fruition.

This strategy is useful when recommending retrofits, Hom said.

“A lot of retrofits are being done as a result of the remodeling work,” Hom said. “It is very common to see some people doing voluntary seismic modification [to] Strengthen their home anchorage. But more importantly, we're seeing a lot of redesign additions that bring the update.

In a statement to the Daily Trojan, the university wrote that it had studied its existing buildings and retrofitted Maud Hall, Webb Tower, Phillips Hall and the Dramatic Arts Building after 2003. However, it acknowledged that not all of the buildings were compatible with the recommended present. Guidelines.

“We have a plan to bring other structures up to current standards,” the university wrote.

They did not comment further on what “other structures” still need retrofitting and what the retrofit plans are.

From the original Los Angeles Times list, the status of the four buildings on the University Park campus remains uncertain. These buildings are the Leventhal School of Accountancy, the Royal Street parking structure, Taber Hall, and the USC Hotel.

Other USC buildings that were not on the Los Angeles Times list may also need retrofits, but these structures are unknown without additional university and city data. Despite this, some structural defects were revealed in some university buildings during the spring 2023 rains.

Many students are aware of the flooding and partial roof collapses that occurred in some of USC's older buildings during periods of heavy rainfall last year. Rainfall risk does not necessarily mean earthquake risk, but it does show that USC structures are not equal in their abilities to handle some natural disasters.

Even when buildings are updated or repaired, some students don't immediately notice any changes.

Saliha Shuma Severin, a second-year environmental studies major, believes the university's design is good overall but has noticed inconsistencies in the quality of some buildings.

“[Phillips] “The classrooms in the auditorium or environmental studies look a little older, but I would say the Levy Library or communications areas…are a little newer and have been redesigned,” Severin said.

Although there are differences in the quality of buildings, USC has extensive earthquake response protocols. These protocols include a dedicated emergency response team for the entire campus and specific emergency personnel for each building. However, the emergency protocols available for each building on the USC websites are mostly uniform, and typically do not take into account differences in building layout and design features such as different chairs and tables.

Severin believes that earthquake protocols are not very clear for students. She said the university must “spread out.” [earthquake protocol information] For students…to explain to students what they are currently doing and what they can improve.”

As university buildings age, it remains to be seen how USC will modify its earthquake protocols, and whether its older buildings will be updated, renovated, or demolished altogether.

“Every building is like a person,” Hom said. “The solutions can be very unique from two buildings in the same building.”

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